Michigan State Hockey: History of Spartan Hockey Outdoors

From Spartan Stadium to Beaver Stadium, Michigan State hockey is back playing outdoors!

This upcoming weekend, the Spartans will be playing in their seventh outdoor game in school history. Michigan State will be heading to Penn State to take on the Nittany Lions in one of the best venues in all of college sports, Beaver Stadium. This will be a marquee matchup between not only two of the best teams in the Big Ten, but college hockey. Before we drop the puck at Beaver Stadium though, let’s take a look back at the Spartans’ history outdoors.

“The Cold War” October 6, 2001 vs Michigan

This game started the craze for outdoor hockey. Before the NHL was hosting regular outdoor events like the Winter Classic and the Stadium Series, this was the prototype. Hosted at Spartan Stadium, “The Cold War” broke the record for attendance at a hockey game with over 74,ooo fans on hand for the occasion. It would hold the record until the next game on our list.

The game itself was a 3-3 tie though help was needed to reach that result. That help came from future Hall of Famer Duncan Keith who scored one a goal in the third to end the game in a tie. Also, current Director of Player Development Brad Fast got in on the scoring with two assists. He would later go on to become one of only 4 players in NHL history to score a goal in his only NHL game. Another member of the Spartan team that got in on the scoring was future Vezina winner Ryan Miller. This was in the season after he won the Hobey Baker Award for the Spartans.

“The Big Chill” December 11, 2010 vs Michigan

The next outdoor game for the Spartans also occurred against the Wolverines. This time down the road in Ann Arbor. The Spartans did not fair well in this rematch though losing 5-0 to the Wolverines. The game set a new record for attendance at a college hockey game which to this day has not been surpassed at over 104,000.

Notable Spartans apart of that 2010-2011 team include defenseman Torey Krug. Krug would go on to have an exceptional career with the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues before retiring following the 2023-2024 season. Also, both Dean and Jake Chelios were members of the Spartans at this time. The two brothers are the sons of Hall of Famer Chris Chelios who is considered one of the greatest defenseman of all time.

Great Lakes Invitational December 27-28, 2013 vs Michigan & Michigan Tech

To celebrate the 2014 Winter Classic, there were a number of events around the state to celebrate the hockey culture. Outside of the all time classic between the Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs, there were a number of games played in downtown Detroit. These games were played at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers. One of the outdoor events hosted at Comerica included the annual Great Lakes Invitational which in that season included, Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan, and Michigan Tech. The Spartans were able to add two more games to their outdoor history. This season also marked the first year that the Big Ten sponsored hockey.

The first game against Michigan Tech was exceptionally thrilling for the Spartans. They ended up taking a very good Tech team to a shootout. The Spartans would end up falling in that shootout and losing with a 3-2 final. That set up the Spartans in the consolation game against the Wolverines. While the Spartans were in the middle of a lack luster season, the Wolverines were ranked No. 3 in the nation. After falling to Western Michigan, the Wolverines were poised for a comeback game. They ended up getting shutout 3-0 by the Spartans and the team captured 3rd place in the tournament.

Hockey City Classic February 7, 2015 vs Michigan

A few seasons later, the Spartans were invited to take place in the 3rd edition of the Hockey City Classic at Chicago’s Soldier Field. The games themselves included the Spartans, Wolverines, Miami (Ohio), and the Western Michigan Broncos. The Spartans and Wolverines served as the primetime matchup in this series though it was delayed by two hours due to ice conditions. The game itself was a struggle for the Spartans. It ended in a 5-1 loss to another Michigan team. That team included future Red Wings like JT Compher, Andrew Copp, and captain Dylan Larkin. This was pretty emblematic of where the program was at this point. The Spartans were struggling to recruit the same top level talent compared to the school down the road.

“Frozen Confines” January 4, 2025 vs Wisconsin

Now on to the most recent outdoor game for the Spartans. Coming off the first Big Ten Championship and Tournament Championship in program history, the Spartans were rewarded with another outdoor game in Chicago. This time at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. The series was an all Big Ten lineup over two days. All the men’s teams outside of Minnesota participated as well as the women’s teams for Wisconsin and Ohio State. The Spartans took on the Wisconsin Badgers and put on a show. The Spartans won the game 4-3 in OT with a single second remaining.

Daniel Russell was the big hero with two goals, including the OT winner. Another standout was Luca Di Pasquo in net who took over for Trey Augustine who was playing with team USA. It was an electric crowd in one of the most storied arenas in all sports.

On to Happy Valley

The focus now shifts to State College, Pennsylvania. The Spartans will take the ice at Beaver Stadium against Gavin McKenna and the Nittany Lions. After the recruiting battle between Penn State and MSU for McKenna, it is easy to say that these two teams do not like each other. On top of that, the Nittany Lions are looking to avenge getting swept by the Spartans earlier this season at Munn Ice Arena. The series will begin with a game on Friday at Pegula Ice Arena. The showdown at Beaver Stadium will face off at 1pm on the Big Ten Network.

Follow me @ikerss98 for live updates during the game.